The invention refers to a mudflap for vehicles, whereby said mudflap has a flat main body, made from rubber, plastic or similar material, on the rear side of which, facing the wheel of the vehicle, ribs are provided in a V-formation in a central area for the intercepting, slowing-down and diverting of water thrown up from the wheel of a vehicle, and channels, for guiding water intercepted and diverted in the central area down and away, located in two side areas arranged symmetrically about the central longitudinal plane. Such a mudflap is understood to be a preformed part matched to the wheel housing of the wheel concerned or a plate-shaped material which is cut to the respective dimensions and, thereby, matched to the geometrical conditions of the point of attachment. This is particularly applicable to mudflaps for trucks. The mudflap can be made from rubber, plastic or another elastomeric material. With such mudflaps, the interception of dirt, i.e. preventing stones from striking parts of the vehicle bodywork, is of less importance. Much more important is the interception of water which is thrown up from the associated wheels of the vehicle from carriageways made wet by rain. In particular, water can also accumulate or collect up to a certain water level in the furrows worn into the road surface by the continuous passage of heavy vehicles so that the quantity of water thrown off from the vehicle wheel can fluctuate between relatively wide limits. When water strikes the mudflap or other parts of the bodywork, especially in the area of the wheel housing or mudguard, a swirling occurs together with the formation of a fine spray (mist) which is particularly noticeable with trucks. The occurrence of such a fine spray hampers not only the view to the rear along the side of the vehicle as seen in the rear-view mirror, but also represents a visibility problem for traffic travelling past or overtaking.
A mudflap of the above-mentioned type is known from EP-OS 302 718. The mudflap is constructed as a molded body and has an area with ribs on the side facing the wheel of the vehicle, whereby said ribs are arranged obliquely to the surface of the main body, and whereby an angle of 75.degree. is preferred. The ribs are inclined upwardly, at least in the central area, in a V-formation with respect to the horizontal plane. The ribs can continue in horizontal or downwardly inclined areas. However, in the central area, in which, according to experience, the greatest amount of water accrues, the ribs are arranged inclined upwards in V-formation. The ribs themselves possess walls which are parallel, i.e. have the same thickness throughout their height, and the free ends have rather sharp edges. In the side areas there are channels for guiding the water intercepted in the central area down and away, whereby these channels are formed by walls which are C-shaped in cross-section so that the channels are constructed such that they are closed to the rear and can only be filled laterally from the central area. Thereby, an undisturbed guiding of the intercepted water down and away is possible provided the water reaches these channels and is prevented from swirling through striking the central area.
A mudflap for vehicles is known from DE-OS 20 45 212 which has a multitude of ribs which are fastened together by wires or pins and which have individual surfaces so arranged and constructed that water thrown up from the wheel of the vehicle strikes the surfaces at an acute angle. In doing this, the water should lose some of its speed and energy. The individual surfaces of the ribs are parallel and spaced out at intervals, partly arranged in pairs or also constructed as longitudinal and transverse webs. In all these versions, a surface is used which is arranged obliquely to the impact direction of the spray water in order to absorb energy. No account is taken of how the water which has been slowed down should be further conveyed. As a rule, there are openings between the ribs, for example, in the form of slots, through which the water passes in a direction opposite to that of the direction of travel.
In order to counteract the formation of fine spray described, a mudflap is also known from DE-OS 31 02 805. The mudflap has a flat main body upon which, on the rear side facing the vehicle wheel, protuberances are provided as flexible individual elements in the form of essentially slim, perpendicular stoppers or extensions. These protuberances possess roughly the shape of cylinders or truncated cones tapering in the direction of their free end, and are distributed asymmetrically over the main area of the main body without any relationship to each other. The distances between the individual elements or protuberances are always arranged differently. The protuberances should brake the impact energy of the water droplets and so influence the direction of rebounding water droplets that the formation of a dangerous fine spray is avoided. The elastic structure of the protuberances should counteract the adherence and attaching of dirt to the rear side of the main body so that the shaking motion occurring during operation should present an advantageous self-cleaning effect. The fine spray which occurs can only be prevented here to a certain degree. The flat section of the main area or the rear side of the mudflap, which intercepts the water thrown up by the vehicle wheel in a more or less vertical direction, is relatively high so that the individual water droplets are subjected to an explosion or rather, atomization action which does not lead to a reduction of the fine spray effect. On the contrary, such water droplets which strike the protuberances are intercepted, slowed down and diverted, whereby the diversion of the water happens in an uncontrolled fashion to all sides. A certain danger of becoming dirty through waste deposits adhering or attaching, especially when the extensions are in cylindrical form, cannot be disputed. During the cold seasons, slush and snow is often thrown up or spun off from the vehicle's tires. In the appropriate climatic conditions this can lead to a build-up of a complete layer of ice on the rear side of the mudflap, i.e. a levelling-off of the surface of the mudflap, so that any advantageous effect is eliminated. The main body of such a mudflap must be constructed relatively stable because it must also maintain the shape of the mudflap against the pressure of the wind caused by the motion of the vehicle and the water spray thrown up. If, on the other hand, the protuberances have to be made very flexible so that a considerable shaking effect can be established through the vibrations which occur, then two different material compounds made from rubber or another elastomer must often be incorporated and pressed together, thereby making the manufacture of such mudflaps time-consuming and expensive. If the number of protuberances on the rear side of the mudflap is increased, then the braking effect is also increased. On the other hand, manufacture becomes more awkward because the grooves in the tools can be clogged during molding, in fact the finer and slimmer the individual truncated cone objects are formed and arranged, the greater this pressing effect.